Fanning The Flames Of Hope: A Conversation With Chris Tomlin

By Darren Tromblay

Winter Jam, the world’s largest Christian music tour, is making a highly anticipated stop at Casey’s Center in Des Moines this Sunday once again, bringing together a who’s-who lineup of some of the top Christian artists and speakers in the world including Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, Katy Nichole, Hulvey, Disciple, Emerson Day, NewSong, and speaker Zane Black.

Doors open at 4 p.m. for general admission, and the main show kicks off at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 suggested freewill donation at the door.

Tomlin, a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter whose album sales now exceed 12 million, making him one of the biggest Christian music artists in the history of the industry, sat down with ListenIowa recently to talk about this, his first Winter Jam tour; what he is seeing in the audiences these days; and the new EPs he’s been releasing this year, among other things.

Let’s talk a little Winter Jam, Chris. How many have you participated in?
This is my first time ever. Can you believe that? I can’t believe that. 30 years of touring, of traveling, playing, and I believe they said Winter Jam is close to 30 years, as well, and it’s my first time. So it’s finally linked up. It’s never worked out schedule-wise. It feels like the right time. It feels like the right moment. There’s so much going on in our country. It’s such a beautiful moment.

And that kind of leads into my next question, Chris. You kind of hinted at it. We’re at a precarious place here, as a nation, depending upon where you stand. As you look out into the audiences now, tell me what you’re seeing out there.
Well, I just think there’s a hunger for people to connect. I felt that in the younger generation, more than ever. I think the darker it gets, the light becomes brighter; it’s as simple as that. There’s so much hurt and heartache and heartbreak in the world, and there’s so much pain and evil. Like this next generation coming up, I feel they have a real hunger of God. They want something real, authentic, not playing church. The church universal — the church of the people of God — they are awakened. Their hearts are awakened. So it’s why I was excited about Winter Jam. I thought this would be a great moment to encourage that. Fan that flame.

What does worship look like for you when you’re not with a band, and you’re not on stage, and you don’t have an audience? It’s just one-on-one, with the Lord. What does that look like?
Yeah, that’s what it’s really about, right? It, uh, it can’t be just about the stage. Worship is our relationship to God. For me, prayer,  a lot of times, is being quiet, being still, and being in God’s word. I think that’s one of the most powerful things you can do. That’s one of the most easy, practical things you can do, is to be in his Word in different ways. There’s all different resources out there today, that helps you. It helps me. All kinds of different things help me in my daily devotion. My kind of “verse for the year” is Proverbs 4, which says, above all else, guard your heart for everything flows from it, and what that means is, what are you consuming? What are you taking in? What is filling your heart and your mind every day? Just guard that, because everything from life flows from that. And that’s living, right? That’s what living is about. Putting God’s word in our heart.

Talk a little bit about the latest EP, Chris, “Help My Unbelief,” a follow-up to the “Jesus Saves” EP in January.
These EPs are just kind of spotlights on songs that are on the latest album, “The King Is Still The King.” “Help My Unbelief” is such a different song for me. I do a spoken word of what the song is about on the EP, how I wrote it, why I wrote it. 

It is an interesting title for a song, especially coming from you.
It is, right? I write songs are just more like, “Holy Forever.” You know, these kind of songs of worship. But then you see, “Help My Unbelief,” and it’s, like, “Oh, no. What’s happened to Chris?” (Laughs) I explain it as this dad bringing his son to Jesus and saying, “Would you please heal my son?” That feeling that everybody in this world has, of “I do believe, but help my unbelief.” Everybody wrestles with that. Everybody wrestles with struggle of faith, but Jesus meets us there.

For a person who hasn’t fully accepted Christ yet or maybe is on the fence, how would you describe — if at all possible — what the presence of the Lord in someone’s life can be like? What can it feel like?
Well, I would bring it down to the core of life. There’s a battle going on in our life. There’s a real battle in everybody’s life, a real evil in this world that pulls and wants to destroy your life. I’ll just say this, John 10:10 is what I could say to that person that would be more clear than anything. In John 10:10, Jesus says there’s a thief, this enemy, this evil that comes to steal, kill and destroy your life. If you live long enough, you’ve felt those things in life, the hardships of life. But Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life, and life to the fullest.” This Christian life that we talk about is not about a bad person becoming a good person; it is about a dead person becoming an alive person. And for me, my job and my music, what I had been called to, is to help when people are in that place. To help people worship this God, and bring people to sense the goodness and greatness of our God who has come and has saved us. 

Excellent. Let’s close on a light note. Got any good stories thus far from behind the scenes backstage at Winter Jam?
Nothing’s happened that’s too crazy yet. Cornhole seems to be the big sport of choice. In the backstage, we have a world champion, like, of which I did not know even existed. (Laughs) What’s been funny for me is that there’s literally a guy who says he’s ranked in cornhold. I don’t know how you get ranked in cornhole, but that is a whole other interview. (Laughs) But he’s No. 7 in the world. He teaches everybody, and he does not miss. He literally does not miss. Every single shot, he makes it. And I’m just like, what are you doing? (Laughs)

Winter Jam 2026
When: Sunday, March 15
Where: Casey’s Center, Des Moines
Tickets: $15 (suggested donation)
Time: Doors open at 4 p.m., show 5 p.m.